Summer car hire prices drop - cancel and rebook to save hundreds

Which? is encouraging car hire customers to cancel and rebook, after our new research found that rates for the school summer holidays have fallen by up to 44% in key holiday destinations.

Based on data from Which? Recommended Provider Zest Car Rental, and thousands of bookings at 13 popular holiday-destination airports, we found that prices dropped by £56 a week (on average) compared with rates in March.

Where to find cheap car hire this summer 

Why you should rebook your car hire?

Which car hire firms let you cancel and rebook?

Many of the major car hire firms have different T&Cs depending on where you hire the car, so check your booking confirmation for details.

All our Which? Recommended Providers offer free cancellation:

Why have car hire prices come down?

There are simply too many car rental companies and too many cars available in many popular holiday destinations. There are three main reasons for this:

When prices were very high in 2022, car rental seemed like a very attractive business. Lots of new companies were set up, while existing brands expanded. 

The supply issues caused by a manufacturing shortage of new vehicles have largely been resolved. Car hire companies have finally been able to replenish their fleets after selling off stock during the pandemic.

The demand for second-hand cars has dropped. Car rental companies usually sell off vehicles after a couple of years, but they're having to hold on to them for longer.

What car hire scams should I watch out for?

In Which? Travel’s latest survey, a whopping 83% of people told us they were worried about getting ripped off when hiring a car. 

In recent years, we’ve seen companies apply underhand new charges, such as the late drop-off fee, the refuelling fee and charges for existing damage. This year there's been a rise in ‘cleaning fees’, applied because the car has not been returned in an immaculate state.   

source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/cheap-car-hire-2024-if-you-cancel-and-rebook-a3JGt5O8U6Y0